Thursday, June 21, 2007

Biofuel repertoire expanded

A biofuel that outperforms ethanol could be easily made from fructose and, in future, glucose derived from the woody parts of plants, researchers claim.

A potential alternative is 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) with a 40% higher energy density, a boiling point 20 ºC higher than ethanol and a dislike for water. But DMF has proven hard to make economically from crops and their sugars.